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It’s difficult to remember a time before Survivor. The reality show has been a CBS staple since it premiered in 2000 and has spanned over 45 seasons, several international versions, and even a very poorly-reviewed video game (given the success of the Tony Hawk franchise, I guess I can’t blame them for trying).
In the show’s over 20-year run, we’ve seen a ton of competitors vying for fame, glory, and a large sum of cash, some more memorable than others. One doesn’t have to be the Sole Survivor to win a spot in our hearts; oftentimes, the real winners are the ones who make the biggest impact.
Here are 10 of the most iconic Survivor players who made a name for themselves, without winning the game.
Xander Hastings
Xander Hastings is a more recent competitor who competed in Season 41 in 2021. From the beginning of the season, the odds seemed stacked against him, but he continued to stick around despite it all. Hastings clearly enjoyed playing the game and audiences found that energy contagious. What can we say? We love a good underdog.
Unfortunately, he was eliminated at the Final Tribal Council with no votes, but fans still hope he’ll have another chance to play in the future.
Jonny Fairplay
Since competing on Survivor: Pearl Islands in 2003, Jonny Fairplay (born John Dalton) has made a career out of being the villain. He famously fabricated his grandmother had died in order to get an advantage on the show, and while the audience at home knew he was lying, his fellow contestants did not. It’s fair to say there’s bad blood as a result.
Love him or hate him, Fairplay’s time on the show was entertaining. When he’s not on Survivor, he works as a professional wrestler, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
Aubry Bracco
Aubry Bracco was an incredibly strategic player in Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, and appeared a cinch to win the whole thing. She began the game as a meek member of the Brains tribe, before going on to basically run the entire game. It came as a shock when the jury at the Final Tribal Council picked Michelle Fitzgerald as the ultimate victor, and fans still feel Bracco deserved the title.
Bracco appeared again in both Game Changers and Edge of Extinction, but never managed the foothold she had in her original season. Still, she’ll go down in Survivor history as one of the best players in the franchise.
Ozzy Lusth
Ozzy Lusth was an early Survivor competitor who nearly took it all. With his good-natured personality and competitive instincts, he had a good chance at winning the title not once, but four times.
Despite getting close several times, he surprisingly hasn’t won any season thus far. He’s proving he’s resilient at least — he was voted out three times one season, but kept coming back thanks to the Redemption Island twist.
Kelley Wentworth
Most survivors on this list’s best game is also their first. Kelley Wentworth is a rare entry, as she was voted out early in her first season before the merge, despite signs she was a competitor to watch.
Since then, she returned for Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance and Edge of Extinction. Taking her previous bad luck as a lesson, Wentworth played a more strategic game in her most recent seasons. She went much further as a result and nearly made it to Final Council in her second season. We love a competitor who won’t quit!
Rob Cesternino
Rob Cesternino’s first season was in 2003, before players realized they didn’t need to commit to one alliance per game. While hopping between befriending whoever’s most convenient at the time is common in reality shows now, Cesternino made waves when he implemented the strategy during his game.
Cesternino is often described as “the smartest player to never win.” His charisma combined with his smarts was almost enough to win the whole game, but his flip-flopping ultimately led to a lack of trust between him and the remaining players, and he was eliminated right before final council.
Spencer Bledsoe
Spencer Bledsoe played two Survivor games two years in a row and did extremely well for himself, ending up in the top three and top four both times. Even when in a tough spot, his strategic thinking helped him avoid targets on his back and beat the odds to become a fan-favorite player.
While he didn’t win either of his seasons, he’s thoroughly impressed us!
Malcolm Freberg
It’s possible to be too good at competing, and this exact problem plagued Malcom Freberg in every season he’s played. Freberg was great at completing challenges, had a great mind for strategy, and was a genuinely likable guy. This helped him get all the way to the final four his first season, where he was ultimately eliminated.
He went on to compete in two more seasons; but, as his reputation for being a threat grew, he was eliminated earlier each time.
Russell Hantz
Russell Hantz is one of the most notorious villains in the franchise, and he nearly won it all because of that. Like Fairplay, Hantz lied about his personal life to garner sympathy, while simultaneously participating in psychological warfare against his tribemates.
His antics, while entertaining, eventually caught up to him. Despite being good at strategy and uncannily finding hidden immunity idols, Hantz was ultimately eliminated.
Cirie Fields
Cirie Fields proved you don’t have to be insanely physically fit to succeed on Survivor. Using her brains, charm, and wit, Fields quickly became a fan favorite and a real competitor in her first season. She ended up finishing in fourth place after losing a challenge, but she’s still one of the most popular players in the show’s history.
Recently, Fields competed on Big Brother 25 alongside her son, Jared.